Linguistics Midterm

th (think)

θ

th (this)

ð

buTTer

ɾ

sh

ʃ

zh

ʒ

ng

ŋ

glottal stop

ʔ

ee

I

ai

e

bOb

a

oo

u

bOUGHt

ɔ

bIt

Regular capital I

eh

ɛ

uh

ʌ

ah

æ

bOOk

ʊ

oh

o

bIrd

ɹ

Linguistics Definition

the scientific study of language

What are the interacting systems of language?

Grammar, Semantics, Phonology

Grammar Definition

a set of rules that specify how the units of language can be combined to produce meaningful messages

Semantics Definition

how meaning is assigned to units of language

Phonology Definition

the study of the sound system of a language

Bilabial

lips touch

Labiodental

lower lip against upper teeth

Interdental

tongue between teeth

Alveolar

tongue at/near upper ridge

Post-alveolar/Alveopalatal/Palatoalveolar

tongue behind alveolar ridge

Palatal

body of tongue near hard palate

Velar

back tongue at soft palate

Glottal

air constricted at larynx

Bilabial examples

m, b, p

Labiodental examples

f, v

Interdental examples

th, th

Alveolar examples

r, l, t, d, s, z, n

Post-alveolar examples

sh, ch, j

Palatal examples

y

Velar examples

k, g, ng

Glottal examples

glottal stops

Voiced Definition

vibrating

Nasal Definition

velic open, air comes out through nose

Non-nasal Definition

velic closed, air comes out through mouth

Nasalized Vowel Definition

out nose & mouth simultaneously

Fricative Definition

air is greatly impeded

Sonorant Definition

air is slightly impeded

Phoneme Definition

minimum unit of sound that makes a difference in meaning

Minimal Pair Definition

a set of words that differ by a single phoneme, whereby that difference is enough to signal a change in meaning

Minimal Pair signifies:

separate phonemes and not allophonic variation

Allophone Definition

Different spoken manifestations of a single phoneme

Allophone examples

Aspirated vs. not aspirated, nasal vs. non-nasal

Morphology Definition

the rules of language governing the internal organization of words

Morpheme Definition

smallest meaningful unit of language

Inflectional Morphology Definition

does not change overall meaning/purpose of word

Derivational Morphology Definition

changes overall meaning/purpose of word

Syntax Definition

Arrangements of words and phrases to create larger units

Difference between Morphology & Syntax

Morphology = internal structure of words

Syntax definition

combination of words to form larger units

Morphophonemics Definition

Two phonemes alternate in a certain environment at morpheme boundaries

Morphophonemics Examples

Plural 's' and 'z'

Semantics definition

study of the meaning of words

Cognate Definition

words with similar background

Proto-language Definition

parent language

How do dictionaries document phonology?

pronunciation

How do dictionaries document grammar?

part of speech

How do dictionaries document semantics?

definition

Vernacular definition

the main language people use in a geographic area

Trade language/lingua franca definition

language of wider communication, what people usually use when interacting with those who don’t share their vernacular

National language definition

government-approved language

Domain definition

situation/location in which a certain language or dialect is spoken

Diglossia definition

situation in which 2+ languages are used in different domains by a group of people

Matched guise test definition

survey method that reveals underlying language attitudes

Orthography: ideal ratio is 1:1 correspondence between _ and _

letters; phonemes

Orthography definition

writing system (based on phonemes, not allophones)

Skinner theory definition

Blank Slate- kids learn language like anything else; stimulus-response

Chomsky theory definition

Language Acquisition Device- kids are born with an innate capacity for language

Literacy definition

teaching people how to read

1st principle of literacy

you only learn how to read once

2nd principle of literacy

you can only learn how to read in a language you speak

3rd principle of literacy

you must be motivated by a body of literature in the target language

Everything in language has _ and _

form; meaning

Qualities of a good translation

clear, accurate, natural

How to translate a rhetorical question?

leave as is, answer it, rephrase as a statement

Difference between a dialect and a language?

mutual intelligibility

Factors to determine success in adult language learning

motivation, ability, method

Basic principle of LAMP

learn through use; learn a little, use a lot; learn what you can use

Universals definition

things all spoken languages have in common

Universal: phonological systems tend to be

symmetrical

Universal: it’s more common for the _ to come before the _

subject; object

Agglutinative definition

lots of affixation; many words made of many morphemes

Fusional definition

several morphemes per word, joined together so morphemes can’t be separated

Isolating definition

little or no affixation because each morpheme is a separate word

Discourse analysis definition

deals with grammatical structure above sentence level

The higher in the grammatical hierarchy (discourse), the more

flexibility

Genres of discourse

procedural, hortatory, narrative, expository

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis definition

language influences culture

Pre-1900, Jacob Grimm discovered systematic correspondences between

Greek, German, Latin, Sanskrit

1900-1960: Structuralism

linguistics developed as a science; Bloomfield = behaviorist/taxonomic linguistics without explaining

1960-now: Chomskyan Revolution

Transformative-Generative Grammar, emphasizing universals and mathematical precision